Michael Rosner

A controlled language for the specification of contracts

Controlled natural languages have been used to enable the direct translation from natural language specifications into a formal description. In this paper we make a case for such an approach to write contracts, and translating into a temporal deontic logic. Combining both temporal behaviour and deontic behaviour is challenging both from a natural language and a formal logic perspective. We present both a logic and a controlled natural language and outline how the two can be linked.

Maltilex: a computational lexicon for Maltese

The project described in this paper, which is still in the preliminary phase, concerns the design and implementation of a computational lexicon for Maltese, a language very much in current use but so far lacking most of the infrastructure required for NLP. One of the main characteristics of Maltese, a source of many difficulties, is that it is an amalgam of different language types (chiefly Semitic and Romance), as illustrated in the first part of the paper. The latter part of the paper describes our general approach to the problem of constructing the lexicon.

Multiword Expression Processing: A Survey

Multiword expressions (MWEs) are a class of linguistic forms spanning conventional word boundaries that are both idiosyncratic and pervasive across different languages. The structure of linguistic processing that depends on the clear distinction between words and phrases has to be re-thought to accommodate MWEs. The issue of MWE handling is crucial for NLP applications, where it raises a number of challenges. The emergence of solutions in the absence of guiding principles motivates this survey, whose aim is not only to provide a focused review of MWE processing, but also to clarify the nature of interactions between MWE processing and downstream applications. We propose a conceptual framework within which challenges and research contributions can be positioned. It offers a shared understanding of what is meant by “MWE processing,” distinguishing the subtasks of MWE discovery and identification. It also elucidates the interactions between MWE processing and two use cases: Parsing and machine translation. Many of the approaches in the literature can be differentiated according to how MWE processing is timed with respect to underlying use cases. We discuss how such orchestration choices affect the scope of MWE-aware systems. For each of the two MWE processing subtasks and for each of the two use cases, we conclude on open issues and research perspectives.

MultiSum: Query-Based Multi-Document Summarization

This paper describes a generic, open-domain multi-document summarisation system which combines new and existing techniques in a novel way. The system is capable of automatically identifying query-related online documents and compiling a report from the most useful sources, whilst presenting the result in such a way as to make it easy for the researcher to look up the information in its original context.

A Framework for the Generation of Computer System Diagnostics in Natural Language using Finite State Methods

Understanding what has led to a failure is crucial for addressing problems with computer systems. We present a meta-NLG system that can be configured to generate natural explanations from error trace data originating in an external computational system. Distinguishing features are the generic nature of the system, and the underlying finite-state technology. Results of a two-pronged evaluation dealing with naturalness and ease of use are described.

Controlled natural language in a game for legal assistance

This paper addresses the design of an automated legal assistant capable of performing a logical analysis of legal documents and using natural language as a medium of communication with a human client. We focus on the interplay between natural language in which the legal document is expressed and the formal logic used for reasoning about it -- ideally approached using a controlled natural language (CNL) together with an appropriately chosen logic for analysis and reasoning. In translating from CNL to logic, information about the CNL structure is lost. For example, the CNL might contain legal clause numbers, whilst the logic might not. This can lead to problems when for example the reasoning system discovers an inconsistency in the contract and needs to explain its whereabouts to the client. Below we discuss the issues affecting the choice of logic, arguing in favour of keeping certain structural information during formal analysis of legal documents to be able to refer to that structure when interacting with the user. n nWe present a framework in which to experiment and seek solutions to these issues. Having identified a sufficiently restricted domain of application we also report on the development of a CNL to interact with a variant of the game Nomic -- a game based on the notion of contract specification and amendment -- and argue how this game provides an ideal platform to explore the use of structure information in the domain of legal analysis.

Explaining violation traces with finite state natural language generation models

An essential element of any verification technique is that of identifying and communicating to the user, system behaviour which leads to a deviation from the expected behaviour. Such behaviours are typically made available as long traces of system actions which would benefit from a natural language explanation of the trace and especially in the context of business logic level specifications. In this paper we present a natural language generation model which can be used to explain such traces. A key idea is that the explanation language is a CNL that is, formally speaking, regular language susceptible transformations that can be expressed with finite state machinery. At the same time it admits various forms of abstraction and simplification which contribute to the naturalness of explanations that are communicated to the user.

Language Technology from a European Perspective

This paper describes the cooperation of four European Universities aiming at attracting more students to European master studies in Language and Communication Technologies. The cooperation has been formally approved within the framework of the new European program Erasmus Mundus as a Specific Support Action in 2004. The consortium also aims at creating a sound basis for a joint master program in the field of language technology and computer science.

Extending a Tool Resource Framework with U-Compare

This paper deals with the issue of two-way traffic between on the one hand, language resources that have been conceived from a local perspective, i.e. from within a local project or institution, and on the other, a shared framework conceived from a global perspective that supplies such resources for local re-use or enhancement. We believe that a key enabler to such traffic is the choice of an appropriate sharing platform, and here we illustrate the point with respect to a constellation of EU projects that is attempting to enhance the quality and scope of shared resources, and a local project that has some already-developed local functionality. The paper first introduces the underlying projects, then goes on to discuss the proposed platform (U-Compare) whose use is then illustrated for a small module developed for a local project.